Umbral Wardens
The Umbral Wardens are a codex non-compliant, loyalist chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, founded originally to maintain vigil of Sectorum Umbris: a system of planets orbiting a warp phenomenon in an area of void-space that was once located in the Eastern Fringe. Following the creation of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the entire system that was meant to be the Umbral Wardens' home as well as their vigil was devoured by the rapidly expanding scar. Now, the Umbral Wardens hunt the stars for the forces of Chaos and the reviled Xenos, smiting the enemies of mankind wherever they are found. Chapter History Although the records concerning the founding (and gene-seed origin) of the Umbral Wardens have all been either destroyed or lost to time, there does exist one landmark that places their founding in the Imperial chronology. The opening of the Umbral Maw, a critically dangerous warp anomaly, in the Eastern Fringe prompted the High Lords of Terra to issue forth the founding of a Space Marine chapter designated specifically to the containment and defense of that section of space. Records of the Umbral Maw in the long since renamed Sectorum Umbris first appear in M35, so by deductive reasoning the Wardens' founding can only have fallen after M35. The Scouring of Duskreach (ca. 250 M36) Having been present for decades in Sectorum Umbris, the Umbral Wardens ultimately decided the vicious, red-mooned Death World of Duskreach upon which to construct their fortress monastery. To the grim surprise of the Chapter, the denizens of the world's fortress-cities had been irredeemably corrupted by the ruinous powers, with cults to their vile gods receiving patronage from the decadent noble houses of Duskreach. Allying themselves with the savage folk of the Death World's wilderness, the Umbral Wardens led a half-year campaign, exterminating any and all occupants of the planet's walled cities, and granting the conquered land to the savage tribes that rejected the fell religion of the nobility. Ever since, the descendants of these savage tribesmen have been chief among the Chapter's sources of fresh recruits. Yawning of the Maw (325 M37 - ca. 500 M37) The "Yawning of the Maw" is the title Imperial scholars familiar with Sectorum Umbris have assigned to a series of warp incursions menacing the planets immediately adjacent to the Umbral Maw -- the exact threat that the Umbral Wardens were founded to preempt. Perhaps in response to some ill summons for forces to rise up against the Imperium, or perhaps out of the cruel hand of fate, the Wardens found themselves beset on all sides by daemons of multifarious origin, as well as traitor Astartes who sought to gain purchase in realspace through the opening of the Umbral Maw. For over one-hundred bloody years, the Wardens waged total warfare against the forces of Chaos Undivided, supported only by the modest Planetary Defense Force that had been founded in the preceding years to defend against Xenos raiders. It was through the crucible of this war that the Umbral Wardens developed and tested their codex-defying methodology of stealth, guerrilla, and terror warfare. The Wardens kept the traitor forces out of balance, engaging in brutal psychological warfare, planting human volunteers of the system's PDF as undercover suicide plas-bombers in cultist encampments as well as constant hit-and-run strikes from the permanent night of Duskreach, giving even the indomitable heretic Astartes pause. Whenever the enemy would begin to catch on to the hit and run nature of their defense strategy, the Wardens' first and second companies would defy expectations suddenly engaging in full-on strikes backed up with heat-masked Razorback tanks and Land-Speeders, punctuated with Jump Pack and the brutal wartime percussion of Drop Pod bombardment. Though many Space Marine chapters would balk at the use of such "cowardly" and "deceitful" tactics, none could deny the results that the Umbral Wardens were able to achieve through their constant total war campaign; despite the sheer numbers and endurance of their invaders, the Wardens lost remarkably few battle brothers and entirely routed the heretic forces. The First Tyrannic War (745 M41) Despite being founded specifically to keep vigil over the Umbral Maw, the Wardens often lent their Third Company to the assistance of other Imperial forces throughout the galaxy. Their most noteworthy contribution to Imperial history would undoubtedly be the Umbral Wardens' 3rd Company's assistance of the Ultramarines during the First Tyrannic War. Due to their location in the Eastern Fringe, the Umbral Wardens engaged in many skirmishes with early exploratory bio-vessels of Hive Fleet Behemoth. Realizing the dire enormity of the incoming Hive Fleet, then Chapter Master BY INQUISITORIAL ORDER attempted to warn the Ultramarines of the coming storm, unfortunately being cut off and stranded on Thrassius III, a planet some systems off from the direct path of the Hive Fleet. This resulted in the entirety of the Umbral Wardens being rallied to the rescue of their 1st Company. Appearance The Umbral Wardens originally wore jet-black armor, with their pauldrons and knee-guards trimmed in Crimson, evoking the hue of the red sun their system's worlds used to orbit. However, after the slaughter of most of their battle brothers and the loss of their homeworld and Fortress Monastery, the Umbral Wardens have, breaking dramatically from tradition, repainted their sacred armor: their once-ebony greaves and boots now painted the same crimson that once only adorned their shoulder trim; a change meant to symbolize the wake of their brothers' blood through which they had to wade in order to survive as a chapter. Although the Chapter has fervently declared themselves sons of Corvus Corax; descendants of the Raven Guard, their Astartes' possession of fully functional Betcher's Gland and Melanochrome organs (though often having albino skin as a result of the constant night of Duskreach), as well as the secrecy surrounding the exact point in time the chapter was founded, has resulted in much speculation of the origins of the Umbral Wardens' gene-seed. Combat Doctrine Styling their methodology of war after the man-hunting monstrosities that stalked the eternal night of Duskreach, the Umbral Wardens are known for their use of subtlety and stealth in warfare, breaking from the norm set by most other chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Further adding to the controversy surrounding the Wardens' combat doctrine is their unrestrained use of terror tactics and psychological warfare; even by the Imperium's standards, the Wardens' relative disregard for collateral damage and honorable combat has often been the cause of tension with other Astartes Chapters. Accompanied by heat-masked Razorbacks, Bikers, Rhinos, and Drop Pod assaults, the Umbral Wardens employ guerrilla shock tactics, unleashing withering storms of fire from the shadows before retreating, only to reposition themselves for another concealed strike. To achieve this end, the Wardens utilize a heavily codex-defiant deployment strategy, emphasizing surrounding and terrorizing the enemy with confusing bursts of lethal, pin-point fire from conflicting angles before moving in for the kill with menacing shock troops such as Primaris Intercessors armed with Auto Bolt Rifles or Assault Marines and Primaris Reivers dropped from the sky. Those who claim the Wardens' feats of subterfuge and guerrilla warfare to be beyond the realm of physical possibility aren't far from the truth; the Librarius of the Umbral Wardens is well-stocked with psykers whose powers allow them to cast unnatural darkness upon the field of battle as well as seed psychotic paranoia in the enemy. Chief Librarian Alaric "the Specter," is particularly lethal in this method of psychological warfare, often appearing suddenly as if birthed from the shadows, clad in jet-black Terminator armor. Though their fast and subtle approach to combat grants the Umbral Wardens a tactical edge on the battlefield, it does render them somewhat limited in their application of heavy armor and ordinance. Rarely do the Wardens employ Dreadnoughts, and the scant few Land Raiders in their possession often go unused for entire campaigns. This is due in part to the inherently conspicuous nature of heavy-armor warfare, but also because of the Chapter's relative dearth of Techmarines. The Chapter's bloody reputation has well spread throughout Imperial space, and as such only the least scrupulous of the Cults Mechanicus would consider bringing an Warden under their tutelage. Indeed, almost every surviving Techmarine within the Umbral Wardens received his sacred training upon the dubious Forge World of Stygies VIII. Unit Types Because of the severe culling that the Umbral Wardens went through at the turn of the 42nd millennia, they have all but eschewed the use of the traditional Codex-based Tactical Squads, preferring to employ their 10th Company scouts to fill the role of the flexible tactical troop. The closest analogue to the traditional Tactical Squad that the Wardens commonly employ would be their elite cadres of Primaris Intercessors, armed with assault bolt rifles as well as the deadly Stalker-pattern Bolt Rifle, these warriors excel in both stealth/guerrilla and shock tactics alike. Shoring up the Chapter's relative lack of heavy weaponry are their Devastator Squads. Unlike Codex-compliant chapters' Devastators, however, the role of a Devastator Marine within the Umbral Wardens isn't simply a step toward becoming a full-fledged Tactical Marine. The Devastators of the Wardens could best be compared to the Long Fangs of the Space Wolves in that their ranks are comprised of some of the most veteran and elderly Astartes within the Chapter. Specializing in tactical deployment and long range anti-armor ordinance, the Devastators of the Umbral Wardens are a sight to behold on the battlefield, often only making their presence known in the form of Lascannon streaks breaking the dark of night. Perhaps most feared and maligned among the Umbral Wardens' ranks are the Blackguards: a small, elite cadre of Primaris Reivers that take the Chapter's controversial terror tactics to another level entirely. Though the efficacy of their brutal tactics cannot be denied, many have criticized the Blackguards' absolute disregard for civilian casualties, leading some of those more astute in Imperial history to draw silent comparisons between the Blackguards and the terroristic Night Lords. Despite the constant demands that the Umbral Wardens' Blackguards take responsibility and penance for their disregard for the lives of even Imperial nobility, Chapter Master Adalricus Stryx has staunchly defended his Reivers, citing the Blackguards' unblemished record of successful missions. Chapter Culture Due to much of their chapter perishing and the disappearance of Chapter Master BY INQUISITORIAL ORDER when the Cicatrix Maledictum swallowed Duskreach, the Umbral Wardens' culture has only recently recovered from the chaotic flux that occurred as a result of their myriad losses. Following their chapter's service in the Indomitus Crusade, Roboute Guilliman granted 100 Primaris Marines of (allegedly) Raven Guard gene-stock to the Chapter's ragged remnants, bringing their number to just above 200 surviving Astartes. In the following years, the Umbral Wardens have managed to bring their number back up to around 750, though many of the non-Primaris Astartes (especially those who were recruited from Duskreach, before the expansion of the Cicatrix Maledictum) view the Primaris Marines of the Chapter with severe mistrust. This is largely due to the fact that, by tradition, each Umbral Warden is to be served by an entire household of human Chapter Serfs: a custom from which the Primaris Marines almost unilaterally abstain. This significant cultural difference between the Primaris and non-Primaris Astartes, as well as the escalation of the Chapter's now-infamous terror tactics (largely attributed to the Primaris Marines' lust for violence) under the leadership of Chapter Master Adalricus Stryx, has led to a division between brothers almost unheard of among the Adeptus Astartes. As a calculated response to this growing discontent within his Chapter, Adalricus Stryx made a shockingly unorthodox decision, and "split" the Umbral Wardens into two directly linked, but distinct, bodies, each comprised of 5 companies of no more than 100 Astartes -- one for Primaris Astartes, and one for non-Primaris. Leading the Primaris Companies is former First Company Captain, Arturius the Thrice-formed, chosen for his level-headedness and the absolute respect he commands from the Primaris Marines of the Umbral Wardens. Chosen to head the Brotherhood of Duskreach (named in remembrance of the Wardens' lost homeworld) was none other than Chief Librarian Alaric, hand-picked by Stryx for his age and wisdom, as well as the patriarchal trust that the Chapter's Astartes have in the venerable sage. Although the two factions have maintained a constant level of distrust for one another, this division by Stryx near-entirely ended infighting within the Chapter, and has resulted in a sort of fraternal rivalry between the two factions, each one striving to prove their group to be superior. Between the traditional flexibility of the Brotherhood of Duskreach and the scalpel-sharp specificity of the Primaris Companies, even the famously pragmatic Adalricus Stryx has admitted to finding the question of whether either of the factions conduct superior warfare to be irresistibly intriguing. Recruitment The Brotherhood of Duskreach conscripts the firstborn sons from the noble families granted sponsorship by the Chapter, as well as an honored few chosen from the worlds under the Wardens' protection. Conscripted nobles and chosen commoner alike are then thrust into a gauntlet of trials considered to be notably lethal, even by the standards of the Adeptus Astartes. Due to the harrowing nature of their induction rites and training, the Umbral Wardens are slow to replenish their number. The Primaris Companies, while commonly drawing recruitment from the families that form the crew of the Chapter's massive Cruiser, also often take those orphaned by their brutal campaigns and raise them as killers, training them in combat to prepare them for the "Trial of Flesh and Bone," wherein these young conscripts are dropped in the hundreds, naked, onto the surface of a nearby Death World. Upon landfall, the conscripts are tasked to hunt each other down, armed only with their wits and whatever weapons they can fashion from the environment. From these groups, only the last man standing is allowed to ascend to the ranks of the Adeptus Astartes. Most recruits chosen by the Brotherhood of Duskreach opt out of the Primaris implants, their cultural experience leading them to view the Primaris Marines more with fear than reverence, but there have been noteworthy exceptions. The reverse is also true -- some champions of the Trial of Flesh and Bone defy their drill masters' expectations and reject Primaris ascension. This rare occurrence is celebrated by many among the Brotherhood, much to the Primaris Companies' chagrin. Notable Members Chapter Master Adalricus Stryx Although simlarly to previous Chapter Masters of the Umbral Wardens, Adalricus Stryx prefers to stay "below the radar" in terms of Imperial rumor, what little discussion might be held about him is rarely positive. Seen as callous and cruel by his fellow battle-brothers, most among the Brotherhood of Duskreach especially consider him to be their patriarch in name alone. This fact doesn't much bother Stryx, as he understood this would likely be the case once he ascended to the office of Chapter Master, and as such specifically selected Chief Librarian Alaric to be his proxy in leading his battle-brothers in spirit, having had the Chief Librarian as an acting leading figurehead of the Wardens long before the schism that necessitated the creation of the Brotherhood of Duskreach and the Primaris Companies. Those who know him best respect him as a pragmatist above all else, and recognize that his skill with the blade is matched by few champions of the Adeptus Astartes. WIP Before his ascension to the rank of Chapter Master, Stryx was the captain of the 1st company of the Umbral Wardens, ... WIP Captain Arturius the Thrice-formed Chief Librarian Alaric "the Shade" Tyrus Notes Gallery Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Unknown Geneseed Category:Unknown Founding